romantic affair of
the recent debutante with a cousin, during the past winter. For one week
Ivan endured his pain in silence. Then, upon a certain Saturday, he went
to Brodsky again, asking him for leave and a double passport. This time
the Colonel, studying his Lieutenant's face, saw fit to grant both the
leave and the second request. Ten minutes after he had entered the
official room, Ivan left it again, bearing with him the death-warrant of
his military career.

Returning to his apartment, the young man held a brief interview with de
Windt, who said little, but studied the boy's face anxiously; and,
though he attempted neither advice nor remonstrance, finally made a
tentative suggestion about accompanying his friend. He was not
astonished at the rejection of the proposition. But Ivan's ensuing
remark afterwards troubled him not a little.

"Don't worry, Vladimir Vassilyitch. I'm not going alone. There will be
some one who will take excellent care of me."

By an effort, de Windt refrained from questions. But as he watched his
comrade depart, an hour later, his light luggage strapped on the
droschky behind him, Vladimir's heart was heavy with foreboding. Could
he have seen Ivan's first destination he might, at last, have attempted
some active remonstrance; though it is doubtful if he could have made
any impression on Ivan's present mood. Lieutenant Gregoriev drove
straight to a house on Vassily Island: held there a brief but
interesting interview with a certain young woman; and, three hours
later, any one who cared to look might have seen Ivan Gregoriev and
Irina Petrovna, with luggage and passports which attempted no deception,
leaving Petersburg together on the evening train for Baden-Baden!

* * * * *

Just what Ivan's intention had been when, in his hour of madness, he
committed this irreparable and terrible mistake, no one, least of all
himself, could have said. Despair had driven him, for the moment, out of
his senses. He cared nothing whatever for himself or his reputation,
little for that of the woman he would have dragged down with him. In his
mind he had some dreary hope that Nathalie, the weak and faithless,
would learn of his wretched action and be hurt by it--a little as he had
been hurt by her.

Before the reckless twain had arrived at their all too public
destination, however, Ivan was in a fever of misery and shame. Well
enough to laugh and say that the thing he pro